Teaching Intercultural Rhetoric and Technical Communication

ABOUT THE BOOK In today's integrated global economy, technical communicators often collaborate in international production teams, work with experts in overseas subject matter, or coordinate documentation for the international release of products. Working effectively in such situations requires technical communicators to acquire a specialized knowledge of culture and communication. This book provides readers with the information needed to integrate aspects of intercultural communication into different educational settings. Its objectives are to assist readers in learning approaches to teaching intercultural communication concepts in different contexts, understanding how to develop classes and curricula focusing on teaching such concepts, considering how to merge professional practices with educational approaches to teaching intercultural communication, and developing mechanisms for evaluating learning related to intercultural communication practices. By balancing theory, research, and reporting from the field, this collection provides readers from academia and industry with insights and approaches for integrating aspects of intercultural communication in a range of educational contexts. Intended Audience: University, college, community college, and high school instructors; professional trainers in public or private sector organizations; students at undergraduate and graduate levels; academics; professional practitioners in public or private sector organizations; administrators in education; managers in public and private organizations.

ABOUT THE EDITORS: Kirk St.Amant is Associate Professor of Technical and Professional Communication at East Carolina University. He has a background in cultural anthropology, international government, and technical communication and his research interests include intercultural communication via online media. He has taught online and conventional courses in technical and professional communication and in intercultural communication for East Carolina University, Texas Tech University, Mercer University, and James Madison University. St.Amant has also taught courses in e-commerce, distance education, and business communication in Ukraine as a part of the USAID-sponsored Consortium for the Enhancement of Ukrainian Management Education (CEUME) and has engaged in collaborative online teaching with the Aarhus School of Business in Denmark. Barry Thatcher is Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Professional Communication at New Mexico State University. His research interests include intercultural professional communication, intercultural rhetorical theory, history of rhetoric in Latin America, and intercultural research methods. He is also an adjunct professor at La Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez and is on the advisory board of the Colegio de Chihuahua, both of which are public universities in Mexico. He is the founder of Border Writing, a research and testing firm for cross-border technology integration and training. Thatcher's most recent projects include testing new GPS and RFID technologies for securing cross-border hazmat shipments and using ESL classrooms for health literacy instruction.